The One Who Remembered
by sumrandomperson
Summary: No one was supposed to remember. They were all supposed to forget. The plan almost worked: the wizarding world was almost forgotten. But one person refused to let go. They couldn't make him give up his memories. Will he be able to convince the others? Or
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

This is an idea that just popped into my head. I haven't thought it all through yet and I might not continue it at all, unless I get a couple of reviews. I hope you all like it. I've never seen it done before.

This is the shortest chapter I have ever written. All the others will be longer, I promise.

**Summary: No one was supposed to remember. They were all supposed to forget. The plan almost worked: the wizarding world was almost forgotten. But one person refused to let go. They couldn't make him give up his memories. Will he be able to convince the others? Or will he have to fight this battle by himself?**

* * *

Chapter 1-Harry 

Harry James Potter sat at the window of his apartment. It was four years since he had graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had become an Auror, feeling that it was his job to not only stop people trying to be Voldemort's successors, but also to make the Wizarding World a safer place in general. In his final year at Hogwarts, Harry had defeated Voldemort once and for all. Since then, many people had tried to become the next Dark Lord, but with Harry at the Ministry, they hadn't come close.

Harry had seen so much death and destruction in his life. He had faced many horrors and had been in so many dangerous situations. For those things he was the most famous person in the Wizarding World, right beside Voldemort. But he hated it. He hated being surrounded by people taking photographs and asking for autographs all the time. He hated seeing himself in the newspaper which told about him saving a girl from drowning, or something. Not that he didn't like what he did; he just hated all the attention. He could deal with it at first, but after about one or two years, he got tired of it. The only solution to his problem was to move to Muggle London, where he at least wouldn't be woken up at night or disturbed while eating or relaxing by the paparazzi.

Harry's two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, had remained in the Wizarding World. Harry would see them as often as possible, as he still had to go to work there, but not as much as he would have liked. Ron was also an Auror, but worked in a different place. He and Harry never had any assignments together. Ron and Hermione, however, spent lots of time together. They had recently started dating, too.

Although he would never admit it, Harry was slightly jealous. He wasn't normally a jealous person, but when you could barely see your two best friends of many years while they saw each other almost every day, you would be jealous too.

Harry sighed as he stood up. He got a beer out of the refrigerator and went into the living room to watch some TV. He turned on Mtv. They were playing a music video. Rumors, by Lindsay Lohan. He found himself thinking amusedly that that was exactly how he felt. Why couldn't people leave him alone? Why did they feel it was necessary to make up rumors about him?

I know, it sounds sort of like Harry hated his life. But he didn't. Sure, he would've have liked it better if he was left alone, but he still loved his life. Every day when he woke up, he would think about the great things life has to offer. He would think about what could happen that day, and what would happen the next. He loved remembering leaving the Dursleys' house on September first, for the last time, four years ago. He loved thinking of the future and having a family. And he also loved thinking about the present. It made him feel really good, how many peoples' lives he'd saved, and helped make better. He had great friends and would always have a good time with them.

Harry finished his beer and watched TV for a couple more minutes. Then he stood up and threw away the beer bottle. He walked through the bedroom into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and changed into his pajamas. And just as he was about to crawl into bed, his legs gave way and the world he knew vanished, to be replaced with a new one.

* * *

Please review! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

A piercing sound woke Harry up. He stretched out his arm and hit the alarm clock a couple of times before finding the right button. He sat up in bed and groggily rubbed his eyes. He had a terrible headache.

Harry tried to get up but had to steady himself on the wall. He held onto it as he made his way to the bathroom door. He pushed it open and walked to the medicine cabinet. His eyes were still half-closed and he wasn't taking in anything around him. He opened the cabinet and fumbled along the sides to find the little button which, when pushed, caused the cabinet to slide forward and reveal a hole in the wall where Harry kept all his potions and spellbooks. He had a couple of these secret compartments or rooms. He couldn't find this one, though. He continued to feel up and down the wall but couldn't find anything. Finally he groaned and stuck his head under cold water.

About a minute later, he emerged from under the faucet. He grabbed a towel and started drying himself off. His eyes were now open all the way; he still had a headache but he wasn't sleepy anymore. I guess I should say his eyes were now open all the way and then some, because he noticed something very strange about his bathroom. It was all white. A white rug, white bathtub/shower, white toilet, white walls, white everything. Harry had always preferred colors more like pale green, dark blue, forest green, and others like that. Naturally, his eyes widened. He slowly opened the door to the bathroom and looked outside. What he saw astonished him. His bed was now in a white bed sheet. The floor was hardwood instead of the comfortable blue carpet he was used to. There was one bookcase, a dresser, a desk with a computer, lamps, mirrors, a TV, and lots of chairs. A lot of the furniture was the same as he remembered…but the room was so much dirtier.

Harry had always been the type of person who would clean his room/house/apartment. Sure, all he had to do was wave his wand and say the words, but still. Now there were socks and dirty clothes over the place. There was a dirty plate and a soda bottle on the bedside table. The TV was in front of the bed, so he must have been eating while watching TV the other day.

"I don't remember redecorating," Harry mumbled. He walked into the kitchen. This, too, was very dirty. Plates were piled high in the sink. The counters needed a good wash and there was unwrapped food everywhere.

Harry then walked into the living room. The comfortable chairs and his favorite squishy couch ever were missing! At this he gasped.

"My couch!" The bookcases were still there, as was the TV. Except… "When did I get a plasma TV?" He walked over to one of the bookcases. As he had done with the medicine cabinet, he felt up and down the sides for a button. This one led to a room, invisible from the outside. This was where he would practice every spell or make potions. He didn't find any button. Harry was getting worried now. Suddenly a knock on the door made him jump. He walked over to it, slowly. On the way, he found a letter on the coffee table. He curiously picked it up.

_Dear Mrs. Green,_

_I'm so sorry about the accident. I don't even want to think of what could have happened to you if I hadn't found you. I hope you get better soon. Remember, I'm always here for you, just across the hall._

_Sincerely,_

_Officer Potter_

Harry stared at the letter. Officer? So he was a…police officer? He looked at the address on the letter. It was to be sent to the hospital. Whoever was behind the door knocked on it again. Harry jumped. He put the letter back on the table and went to the door. He unlocked the various locks and turned the handle. There stood a woman with brown hair and brown eyes. She had pink hoop earrings and diamond studs behind those (she had a double pierce). She was very pretty.

"Hey, Harry," she said, in a sweet voice. She bent forward and kissed him. Harry was surprised, and he stiffened and pulled back. She looked surprised. "What's wrong?" Harry, realizing this must be his girlfriend, tried to make up an excuse.

"Cold sore," he said. She nodded.

"Oh. I heard about what happened to Mrs. Green. That's terrible," she said, walking in.

"Yeah," said Harry, of course having no idea as to what had actually happened to her.

"I can't believe she fell down the stairs! She might never recover, fully. She might have to go to a nursing home. I mean, she was almost 80 and she nearly broke a bone. I can't imagine what would have happened if you weren't there."

"Yeah, me neither," said Harry, thinking about what the letter said. "I hope she'll be all right." He closed the door. The woman was walking into the kitchen.

"Harry! I can't believe it. I go away for two weeks and you totally mess up the flat! If I'm not here to make you clean, you just don't do anything, do you?"

"Er – sorry," said Harry. She looked at him.

"I was only kidding, silly," she said. She moved towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She started to lean in, but he stopped her.

"Listen, I have an exercise we should do," he said. She unwrapped herself and stared at him.

"All right…"

"Come on, let's sit down," Harry said. He cleared everything off the table and they sat down, facing each other. "Here's what we'll do. We'll say things about ourselves, in turn. For example I'll go first. I'm Harry Potter. I'm a police officer." She was looking at him weirdly.

"I'm Rebecca Lowe. I work at Abercrombie & Fitch in the local mall."

"Rebecca Lowe. Rebecca Lowe," said Harry, trying to memorize it.

"Yeah. What's up? You sound like you've never heard my name before," said Rebecca. "Or like you've forgotten it or something. You couldn't have, though. We've been going out for four months. Did you forget?" Harry shook his head.

"No! Not really…anyway, I'm 21 years old."

"I'm 21 years old too," said Rebecca slowly.

"The police station I work at is at…" Harry faltered.

"Harry, what is the point of this? I came by to tell you I was back from my trip and you're acting all weird!" Rebecca sounded a little mad, but more confused. "Listen, I have to go. Wanda's covering for me." She grabbed her A&F coat and started for the door. Harry stiffened.

"Wanda?" She turned around.

"Yes, Wanda. Why?"

"Wanda…wand…Wanda…wand!" shouted Harry. Rebecca looked at him strangely.

"What are you talking about, Harry?" she asked. Harry didn't respond. He ran to his bedroom and then to the bedside table. He pulled open the drawer and started rummaging around.

"Oh no. Oh no! I can't believe it!" He slammed the drawer shut. "Did you take my wand?" he shouted to Rebecca.

"Harry, what is going on?"

"My wand! It's gone, did you take it?"

"Your _wand?_" Rebecca asked incredulously. Harry suddenly realized. She was a Muggle.

"Er – wand? No, no, I said gun. Yeah. My, uh, gun's missing." He turned around and opened the drawer again. He pulled out a black gun. "Here it is," he smiled sheepishly. Rebecca glared.

"Look, Harry, I don't know what's going on with you, but you can just call me when you sort yourself out. You know my number. Unless you've forgotten that, too." She opened the door, and disappeared behind it.

Harry sank down in a chair. What had happened to him? Where was he, who was he? Why was his apartment different and why couldn't he find any of his secret places? His headache was returning. He sighed as he stood back up. He went to his closet and looked inside. Not expecting to find anything, as his wand and other magical things were missing, he felt the wall. Of course, there was no little button that would reveal a closet full of robes of every kind. Just Muggle clothes. And a police officer's uniform.

* * *

A few minutes later, Officer Potter stepped outside. He was holding a letter in one hand and keys in the other. He started clicking a button so he could find out which car was his. He saw the lights of a silver Mercedes ("nice") blink. He walked over and put the key in the key hole. It fit perfectly. He turned it and the car was his for the driving.

He exited out of the parking lot of his apartment building. He pulled onto the highway and drove for about half an hour. Then he turned at the entrance to the hospital's parking lot. He parked the car and got out.

The hospital lobby was all white. There were chairs and vending machines and TVs for people who had to wait there. Harry went up to the receptionist.

"I'm here to see," he checked the letter, "Mrs. Green."

"Officer Potter! It's so nice to have you here. Of course you can see Mrs. Green. She's on the third floor. Room 313."

"Thanks," said Harry, not sure of how she knew who he was.

When he was on the third floor, he looked for room 313. Soon he found it. He turned the shiny handle and walked inside. An old woman was sitting up on a bed next to the door with a tray on her lap. She looked up when Harry entered.

"Harry!" She said. "What a nice surprise! Sit down, sit down." She pointed at a chair. Harry went to sit down.

"How are you, Mrs. Green?"

"These gits are probably going to stuff me in some nursing home," said Mrs. Green bitterly. Harry grinned.

"It'll be all right," he said. Then his face turned serious again. "Listen, you know I'll always be here for you, right?" She nodded.

"Yes, of course. You practically saved my life. I need to repay you, somehow, but I just don't have anything I can think of."

"That's all right. I won't even think of accepting anything." She smiled. "Now, I want to make sure you remember where to go if you need me. What's the address of my police station?"

"Oh, Harry, if I forget I'll just ask someone on the streets. Everyone knows, after all." Harry almost asked why but controlled himself. Who knew if he was famous or really well known in the area?

"Yeah, well, I just want to make sure you know. Tell me what the address is."

"22 Pine Cone Strand," said Mrs. Green.

"Thank you," said Harry, trying to figure out if he knew that address. _Wait a minute…that's the same street as the Ministry! _"I'm sorry, but I have to go. A lot of work, you know," he said suddenly. Mrs. Green nodded.

"Come back anytime." Harry waved and left the room.

* * *

Harry drove down Pine Cone Strand. _16…18…20…22!_ He stopped the car and looked at the building. Right next to it was the telephone booth which he could use to enter the Ministry. Harry got out of the Mercedes and walked inside the telephone booth. He dialed the numbers and waited for the lady who would ask him what his business was at the Ministry. But instead of that happening, a woman's voice told him that that number didn't exist. He tried again and again, but in vain. Finally, he slammed the phone down in a panic.

_The Ministry doesn't exist? Or is it because I don't have my wand? Maybe they changed it? No, they would have told me, even though I never use this entrance. _He left the phone booth and nervously walked towards the police station. He pushed open the door.

"Potter!" a sharp voice called. Harry saw a man walking towards him. He had a black mustache and black hair. "Where have you been? You're an hour late! You have a suspect in room 4!"

"Oh. Sorry, um, lots of traffic," said Harry.

"Whatever, just go to the suspect! The questions are on the table outside the room." The man turned to go.

"Wait!" called Harry. "What's he suspected of?" The man looked at him like he was crazy.

"The murder last week…" he said slowly. "What's wrong with you, Potter? You seem 'out of it'."

"I'm fine," said Harry.

"Well good. Go!" Harry walked down the hall a little. There was a right turn and a left turn. He took the right. "Potter! Room 4!" Harry turned back and took the left turn.

* * *

Harry soon came to a large metal door. Next to it was a small table, on which was a clipboard with a paper on it. There were lots of questions on it. A tiny man came out of the door next to it.

"We got you covered," he said. "Here, take this." He hooked an earpiece into Harry's ear and patted him on the back. "All right, go." Harry walked into the room. Inside was a large mirror (behind which were obviously people watching) and a table with two chairs, one on either end. Harry sat in one. Only then did he look at the suspect, who was sitting in the other chair. The man had an ill-kept beard and dirty, tangled hair. His clothes were ripped and looked like they hadn't been washed for a while. He himself looked like he could use a bath.

"All right," Harry cleared his throat. He was really nervous. He looked at the sheet and read the first question. "Where were you the night of January 10th, 2005?"

"At my apartment," said the suspect roughly.

"All right," said Harry. "What –" He was cut off by a voice in his ear.

"Potter, ask him where it is! You can't just automatically believe him! What's wrong with you?"

"Where is your apartment?" Harry asked. The suspect gave the address. Harry's jaw suddenly dropped. He was in shock. _This isn't possible_ he thought. _What's happened to him?_ Then he realized the suspect had given him his own address. He swallowed and said "I asked you where your apartment is. Please give me the correct address." The suspect gave the same address as before.

"That's where I live!" he said indignantly.

"No, that's where _I_ live!" shouted Harry.

"Potter!" said the voice in his ear. "What are you doing? Never give a suspect your address!" Harry ignored it.

"You're lying!" said the suspect. "I live there, so you can't!"

"Maybe we should bring out some Veritaserum (A/n: That's what it's called, right?), Dean!" said Harry.

"How do you know his name? We couldn't find I.D and he wouldn't tell us! And what the hell is Veritaserum?" said the voice.

"How do you know my name?" said Dean quietly.

"It doesn't matter," said Harry quickly. Dean hadn't heard the Veritaserum part, apparently.

"Yes it does! And what did you say before that? Vertasorum?"

"Veritaserum," said Harry, looking for a sign of recognition. Something like that passed Dean's face.

"What is that? It sounds familiar…"

"Never mind," said Harry. "I have to go." He ran out of the room, not stopping for anyone who tried to talk to him. He ran to a police car and put it in drive. He put on the siren and started going full speed. He drove to where he knew the Leaky Cauldron was. He would go to Diagon Alley and figure this out. But there was no Diagon Alley. There was no Leaky Cauldron. And, as he found out at King's Cross, there was no Platform 9 ¾ either. Feeling more confused than ever, he floored it out of the city.

* * *

Soon he was in the country. He was passing little neighborhoods and nice houses. It took about 20 minutes to reach his destination. He pulled into the driveway of the brick house and turned off the car. He stepped out and walked up to the door of the house. He rang the doorbell and waited impatiently for the door to open. When it did, he found himself staring at a freckled face. Ron Weasley stood there, looking at him. Harry expected a "Harry, mate, you're here! Come in!" but that didn't come.

"Er – hello," said Ron.

"Ron! It's me!" said Harry.

"Um, ok…" said Ron. Suddenly a woman appeared at his side.

"Hermione!" said Harry. "It's so good to see you!"

"How do you know our names?" she asked. He noticed a wedding ring on her finger.

"Oh my God, are you guys married? How come you didn't tell me? When did this happen?"

"Who are you?" asked Ron, harshly.

"It's me, Harry! Don't you recognize me?" said Harry, gesturing at himself, slightly frantically.

"I'm sorry, we don't know a Harry. I'm going to have to ask you to get off of our property now."

"But -"

"Listen, you're obviously a police officer, so I can't call the cops, but I think you should leave before I have to force you out of here," said Ron.

"Wait -"

"Goodbye," said Ron and slammed the door in Harry's face. That was when it fully dawned on Harry. This world was not his own.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

gatermage: haha, you'll see

* * *

Harry was sitting in his office, staring at the wall. On his way in, he had ignored all the shouts of "Harry!" and "Potter! Where have you been?" He had come into his office and plopped down into the chair.

Three hours later, he was still there, unmoving. The door was sealed with magic and no one who tried could get in. He had been thinking about what had happened. The scene with Ron and Hermione was replaying over and over in his mind. What could have happened to make them act like that? Was it Voldemort? Had he wiped their memories? Why was Harry a police officer and not an auror? Since when did he have a girlfriend named Rebecca? And why was his apartment different?

These unanswerable – for the time being – questions had been floating around in his mind for the past couple of hours.

Suddenly, a loud sound woke Harry from his reverie. It was a shrieking sound. Incredibly loud, it was making Harry cringe and cover his ears. He let a scream rip through him as the sound grew louder.

Harry stumbled to the door and yanked it open. He saw a man.

"WHAT'S THAT NOISE?" Harry bellowed. The man looked scared and startled.

"What noise?" he asked timidly. Harry couldn't hear him. He could only see his mouth moving.

"WHAT IS IT?" Harry screamed again. Tears of pain fell from his eyes. The noise was making his head hurt more than ever before...and suddenly everything was clear. There was a ringing sound in his head but no screeching sound.

Everyone was crowded around Harry. They were watching him with concern and some fear.

Harry felt a pang in his head. He gripped it, trying to squeeze out the pain. Then he saw an image: two boys – one blonde and one with black hair – playing on a green lawn.

_A blonde woman was sitting on the grass watching them, laughing. _

"_Come here, Harry, Dudley!" she called. "Time for dinner!" The boys ran over to her, stumbling slightly._

"_Yay!" they shouted. She took their hands and led them inside. _

Harry fell onto his knees as he felt another jolt inside his head. Another image flashed before his eyes.

In this one the boys were older.

_There were balloons everywhere and there were many kids in party hats. The black haired boy was standing around a birthday cake and everyone was singing to him._

"_Happy birthday dear Harry, happy birthday to you!" He blew out the candles and everyone cheered._

"_Aunt Petunia, Aunt Petunia, can we eat the cake now?" he asked, jumping up and down. She smiled and nodded._

"_All right, Harry," she said and started cutting the cake._

Harry gasped. Were these…? No, that wasn't possible! His aunt was vicious and hated him. What was going on?

Image after image flashed before Harry's eyes. One startled him more than the one with his aunt, however.

_Harry was walking down a hallway which had lockers on both sides. There were lots of kids his age walking past him with backpacks on their backs. They were wearing Muggle clothing – _

'What's Muggle?' thought Harry. Then he shook his head. 'Non-magic people! Why did I even think something so ridiculous…?'

- _and so was Harry. He looked about 15. The place he was in didn't look anything like Hogwarts. And Ron and Hermione were no where to be seen._

The next thing he saw was himself, wearing a graduation robe and hat, shaking hands with a man who gave him a rolled up paper. Then he went to stand next to the others who were all dressed like him.

Images of him in college, and graduating college, and coming to a police station followed. Once he saw himself get a job at the police station, Harry watched himself meet a woman, who he recognized as Rebecca.

Hundred of images, both moving (like a video clip) and still (like a picture), flashed before him. Finally, it stopped. He lay on the ground, clutching his head, ready for more. Thankfully, more didn't come. Only a faint sound like a siren. Then everything was quiet again.

Harry, now with a massive headache, stood up. The crowd around him stepped back, startled. A small part of the mob moved aside as he stumbled towards them. The black haired man pushed open the door, and disappeared behind it.

* * *

Harry walked to the park. He sat down on a bench and began to collect his thoughts.

"Ok," he said to himself. "I'm going to think about what just happened. I was sitting in my office when suddenly I heard this horribly loud noise. I then started seeing things in my head. They looked like events out of my life. Ok, so, when would I see events out of my life in my head?"

He thought about this for a while. Before he finally realized…

"Memories! Of course! Those were my memories! Like I thought earlier…but Aunt Petunia is not a nice person. And how come it showed some Muggle school and me at college when I went to Hogwarts and have never gone to college?"

"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity," said a voice. Harry looked up, startled out of his thoughts. A woman, about one year younger than him, stood in front of him. There was a large pencil tucked behind her ear, a magazine in her hands, and big radish earrings in her ears.

"Er – hello," said Harry.

"You know, wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure," said the woman.

"Right…listen – wait a minute. Luna? Luna Lovegood?"

"No. My name is Luna Longbottom. But Lovegood is my maiden name," said Luna quietly. "How did you know?"

"It's me! Harry! Harry Potter!" said Harry, forgetting all about his new memories and the incident with Ron and Hermione.

"I've heard of you, but I've never met you," said Luna.

"Of course you have, we went to school -" Harry faltered. "Never mind," he said.

"Ok," said Luna cheerfully. She sat down next to Harry on the bench and opened the magazine.

"Is that magazine owned by your father?" asked Harry.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is."

"Is it called the _Quibbler?_" Harry asked excitedly. Luna pulled a face.

"No," she said. "Why would someone want to name their magazine the _Quibbler_?"

"Never mind," said Harry, once again.

"All rightey then," said Luna.

As she began flipping through the glossy pages of the magazine, Harry kept trying to figure out what exactly had happened.

'Ok, I woke up this morning, in my apartment, which was decorated differently and there were none of my secret rooms and my wand was missing. I then found a letter addressed to the hospital and went there to find out where the police station I worked at was,' thought Harry. 'I figured it out, went there, and found Dean as a suspect for murder. Then I went to Ron's place and found Hermione there as well. They acted like they didn't know me and threw me out. I went back to the police station and started seeing things. Memories.'

Suddenly Harry realized something. He hadn't been able to find anything having to do with magic at his apartment, or anywhere else. His friends from the place he learned magic at, didn't know him. And the memories. They were Muggle memories. No magic in them. Because that was gone. Someone had erased it.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Harry sped out of the city again. Was it really possible that magic had vanished completely? Everyone's memories turned to Muggle memories. Everyone's jobs turned to the Muggle equivalent. Everyone's lives were completely different. And in this world there was no Voldemort. Harry didn't have him in any of his new memories, anyway, and he would be the one to remember Voldemort if he was ever alive.

But who would do this and why? And how could they have done it? Erased everyone's memories and replaced their lives with new ones, all in one night? Unless they had started a long time ago. But then there would be reports of people disappearing and not remembering their families, especially after it happened to a lot of people. And when had Ron and Hermione gotten married? Why would whoever did this need that to happen? And now that Harry thought about it, not only had they erased everyone's memories, they had given them completely new ones. And wouldn't they have had to sacrifice there own magic to do it? Or did they keep it? But why would they need it?

None of this made any sense to Harry. He shook his head and pushed the car faster.

He was soon at the familiar white and brick house. There were trees all around it next to a stone pathway. Harry got out of the car and slammed the door shut. He curiously followed the path, not remembering it being there before. It led around the house into an enormous garden. Harry was taken aback. There never used to be a garden there. Why would The People have put it there?

Harry walked back up the path, back to the front of the house. He looked at the blue door for a while. He was almost afraid to ring the doorbell. Before he realized what he was doing, however, his finger reached out and pushed the button. He heard the ring resound in the house and a minute later the door was pulled open.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ron.

Harry swallowed.

"I, uh, I wanted to talk to you guys," he said nervously.

"We don't want to talk to you, though," said Ron coldly and made to close the door.

"Wait!" said Harry, holding up his hand.

"For what?"

"I just want to – to explain."

Ron sighed.

"Fine, go ahead," he said impatiently.

"Can I come in?" asked Harry.

"No."

"Ron! Who is that?" came a female voice from inside the house.

"Some guy who was here earlier! He wants to tell me something," answered Ron and turned back to Harry. "Could you hurry up, please? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"I sort of wanted to talk to you both," said Harry aching for a reason to get inside the house.

"Us both?"

"You and Hermione. I'm not going away until you let me. And if you kick me out, I can get a warrant to search your house on a suspicion of you being in possession of illegal substances," said Harry. Of course he had no idea if he could do that or not but it seemed to work.

"All right, fine," said Ron and held the door open. Harry walked in and looked around. It looked almost exactly like he remembered but with a few things added or taken away here and there.

He heard Ron close the door behind him.

"Follow this hallway to the kitchen," he said. Harry did as he said. In the kitchen, there were three women sitting around a table. Two of them had red hair, just like Ron, and one had brown hair. He recognized the brunette as Hermione.

"Hi," he said. They looked up at him and Hermione gasped.

"What are you doing here? RON!"

He came in the kitchen after Harry.

"It's ok, Hermione. I let him in."

"Why?"

"He said he needed to talk to us or he'd get a warrant by saying we had drugs or something. I don't know, but he's a cop, he's not going to do anything to us."

Hermione looked doubtful but stayed silent.

"What's your name?" asked one of the women. She looked about fifty-fifty six years old.

"Mrs. Weasley?" said Harry. She looked younger than in his world. Her face was less wrinkly and she looked more energetic, less stressed.

"Yes…who are you?" she said.

"Harry Potter," he said, extending his hand. She shook it.

"Are you a friend of Ron's?"

"Ye- no," he said. "Well, kind of. It's complicated."

"What are you talking about?" said Ron. "I only met you this morning."

"I'll explain," said Harry, looking at the other women, who was sitting between Mrs. Weasley and Hermione. She was beautiful. He couldn't believe this was the girl he had rescued in his second year. He barely ever saw her anymore in his world.

"I'm Ginny," she said with a smile. "Ron's sister."

"Hi," he said.

"Well, sit down," said Hermione. He did so and Ron sat down next to him.

"Explain," he said.

"All right. I woke up this morning, thinking I was in a totally different world. A world where…well, it's a – a magical world. I mean there's a Muggle world too, like this one."

"Muggle?" asked Ron.

"Yeah, it means people who aren't magical," said Harry.

"Right..."

"Anyway, in this world you, me, Hermione, and even Ginny all went to school together. Ginny was a year below us though. The school was called Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry and we learned magic there. There was a sport called Quidditch where everyone flew around on broomsticks. Ron and I became aurors, which are basically police officers," he said, gesturing to his uniform, "but more advanced and use magic. We fought the Dark Side.

"When I was one year old, the most feared wizard in probably about 135 years killed my parents and tried to kill me. However, the curse he used, which was the worst curse ever, _Avada Kedavra,_ the killing curse, deflected on me and hit him back. He didn't die, but he vanished for ten years. Then in our first year he used the body of one of our teachers, Professor Quirrell, to come to Hogwarts to get to me. It didn't work, though, and he vanished again.

"In our second year, the year Ginny came to the school, he came back as a memory, incased in a diary which he used to posses Ginny with. He forced her to write threatening messages on the walls and he set a Basilisk, an enormous and deadly snake, on the school. Then he took Ginny into a hidden chamber called the Chamber of Secrets and kept her there. I went to rescue her and killed the Basilisk and got rid of Voldemort, or Tom Riddle, his real name, again.

"In third year in infamous prisoner, named Sirius Black, escaped from the wizard prison. He was the first person to have done it, as everyone went mad after about a week in there, and he had been there for twelve years. He was suspected in betraying my parents and thrown in prison for being a Death Eater, one of Voldemort's followers. Then it turned out he hadn't done it and he had been my father's best friend. They had been in a group at school, called the Marauders. One of them, Remus Lupin, was a werewolf, so James, my dad, Sirius, and Peter, the other one in the group became animagi. Animagi are people who can turn into animals. My dad was a stag, Sirius was a dog (which was how he escaped Azkaban), and Peter was a rat. Peter was actually the one who had sold my parents to Voldemort and he had framed Sirius and he turned out to be Ron's rat. We almost caught him but it was a full moon and Remus changed into a wolf and Peter got away. We helped Sirius escape, though.

"In fourth year there was the Triwizard tournament. Our Defense Against the Dark Arts turned out to be an imposter and he entered me into the tournament which consisted of three dangerous tasks to be performed by one champion from each of three schools. In Hogwarts, though, there were two because the imposter put me in. I did the tasks but the trophy was a portkey, which is something that takes you to another place. I saw Voldemort come back to power and barely made it out with my life.

"In fifth year Voldemort tricked me into going somewhere by making me think Sirius, who was my godfather, by the way, was trapped there. Then it turned out that wasn't true and Sirius and a bunch of others had to come help me fight Voldemort but he escaped and Sirius died. I also found out about a prophecy which said I would either kill Voldemort, or be killed by him.

"In sixth year -" He broke off, noticing their incredulous faces. He figured they needed a moment to process the information. "I'm going to – um – go to the bathroom."

Harry walked quickly out of the kitchen and began searching for any evidence to support his story. He could hear the others whispering in the kitchen. He knelt down next to a shelf. There were a bunch of books there which had years on their spines. He took one out, which said 1990. There were many pictures of groups of kids and above them they said "first grade, second grade, third grade, etc."

"These are yearbooks!" said Harry to himself, excitedly. Maybe there was still hope! He started flipping through it and found Ron's picture in the fifth grade section. He couldn't find Hermione until he saw a second book with 1990 on it. Under fifth grade, he found Hermione. These were yearbooks from their separate schools. However, Harry wasn't in any of them.

He had gone through the middle school yearbooks, and was now at high school. Both Ron and Hermione were in the class pictures now. In the junior and senior year pictures, they had their arms around each other. Harry smiled as he reached the last book. He flipped through until he got to the seniors. There they were, smiling at the camera. They looked so happy – was that a blink?

Harry stared at the photograph. There it was again! Hermione and Ron were blinking! His heart started pounding in his chest. He put his finger over Hermione's face, trying to feel if there was something unusual about it. Suddenly, the page split in two. It didn't rip, it turned into flaps. Harry pulled the flaps apart. They revealed a thin little book that Harry had never been so happy to see in his entire life. It was a Hogwarts yearbook! He could have kissed it right there. He pulled it out and under it was another! And another! There were seven in all for each of their years at Hogwarts!

Harry opened the one for seventh year. There they were! Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all smiling at the camera where there arms around each other's shoulders! And Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil…they were all there! Even Draco Malfoy, under the Slytherin section. And for her sixth year, there was Ginny!

"Yes!" shouted Harry.

"Harry?" came Ron's voice.

Harry carried the Muggle yearbook, with all the Hogwarts yearbooks in it, back to the kitchen.

"Look! Look at this!" he said to the four around the table. Ron stood up and took the yearbook. He closed it, and immediately all the Hogwarts yearbooks vanished. Harry decided they went back into their hiding place.

"Maybe later," said Ron and escorted Harry back to his chair. Harry looked around.

Mrs. Weasley had a warm, comforting expression on her face. Hermione and Ron looked encouraging while Ginny just looked doubtful.

"Now, tell us more about the 'wizarding world'," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Well, today I woke up and all of my magical stuff was missing, I was a policeman instead of an auror and none of my friends remembered me. It's like it all vanished," said Harry. "Do you guys believe me though?"

"Of course," said Mrs. Weasley with a smile.

Harry blinked.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes," said Hermione. "Go on."

"Well, this strange woman I've never met said she was my girlfriend, the wizarding government was gone, one of my best friends was a criminal…none of it makes any sense!" said Harry.

"Uh huh, tell us more," said Hermione. Harry paused. They seemed too eager to believe him. He looked at Ginny, but she looked away. She didn't seem as convinced as the others.

He saw Ron glance outside and looked out too. There were a couple of cars and a white van in the driveway.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Nobody," said Hermione. "Let's go outside, though. It's such a nice day."

Harry curiously let himself be led out of the house.

"Mr. Potter," said a man, coming up to him with a smile. "Come with me, please."

"Who are you?" asked Harry.

"My name is Timothy Kindle. I'm here to help you."

"What are you talking about?" said Harry. He looked at the van. On the side it said "St. Michael's Mental Hospital."

"W – what's going on?" he said, backing away. He looked back at Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, and Ginny. Ginny was biting her bottom lip. "What did you do?"

"Harry," said Hermione, taking a step towards him. "You need help. These people are going to help you."

"You think I'm crazy?" said Harry, his eyes stinging. "You said you believed me! Was that just a trick to stall me until they showed up?" One look at Ginny's face told him the answer. "It was, wasn't it? I can't believe I went looking for help from you guys! I thought you were my friends."

"That's the thing: you _thought_. Harry, none of what you told us is real. It's all in your imagination, you made it up. You don't know us and we don't know you. There's no such thing as magic," said Ron.

They stood in silence for a bit.

"Come on, Mr. Potter, we should go now," said Timothy kindly. He went to take Harry's arm but he jerked it away.

"I don't know you? I know you better than anyone! I know your whole family! You want to hear their names? Your dad, Arthur, your mom, Molly, your brothers, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George who are twins, and your sister, Ginny. Hermione you're an only child and your parents are dentists. Your full name is Hermione Jane Granger. Ron, your brothers, Fred and George are always pulling pranks. They call you Ronnykins to annoy you." He looked at their shocked faces. "Yeah! I know you better than you think, don't I? I know you pretty damn well, actually! How come you don't remember me? Any of you? What have they done to you?" Harry shouted.

"All right, let's go," said Timothy.

"NO! I'm not going with you until somebody believes me! For real!"

Timothy grabbed Harry but he pushed him away. Timothy signaled to two other men in white clothes and they closed in on Harry. They started pulling him away as he struggled to run forward.

"LOOK IN THE YEARBOOKS, RON! YOUR SENIOR YEAR OF HIGHSCHOOL! LOOK AT THE PICTURE OF YOUR CLASS AND LOOK AT YOU AND HERMIONE ESPECIALLY! YOU'LL FIND IT! YOU'LL SEE THAT I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!"

The men stuffed Harry in their van. They strapped a straight jacket around him and drove him off.

* * *

Twenty minutes later they were at the mental hospital. Harry had stopped struggling. There was nothing he could do now. He couldn't convince anybody. He couldn't get his world back. He should have just accepted his new life.

Then, a thought struck him. Why had he been the only one to have remembered wizards and witches? Why were his magic memories still there, alongside the new Muggle ones?

He didn't have much time to dwell on that, however. He was led into a small white room with a tiny barred window, and a little glass one on the door. He was put in a chair and the men quickly left the room.

* * *

Two hours later (Harry could see the clock through the door window) a woman opened his door.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," she said with a smile. "I'm Jane Tory. How are you?"

"Bloody fantastic," said Harry sarcastically, pointing at the room. She smiled again.

"During your time here, you will begin a series of treatments, starting with a doctor. Now, tell me, what exactly did you tell the people who called us about you?"

"I don't remember," said Harry.

"Well, they said you thought you were a wizard. Is that true?"

"No," mumbled Harry.

"I see," said Jane, this time with a frown. "Well, I'll bring the doctor in." She walked out, and Harry could hear her talking to the doctor. "Tom," she said, "you can go in now."

A man with black hair and a clipboard came in. Jane closed the door behind him.

"Hello," said the doctor, smiling oddly. "My name is Dr. Riddle."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

"You're quite a difficulty, Harry," said Dr. Riddle. "Making up all these stories about being a wizard." Harry didn't say anything. He just looked at the man before him, trying to understand who he really was. "Tell me, Harry," said Dr. Riddle after a moment of silence. "What makes you so special? What makes it so that _you_ do all these brave and courageous things and that _you_, and only you, remember 'your' world?"

Harry shrugged.

"I dunno, I guess it's -" but Dr. Riddle cut him off, as if he hadn't heard him speak at all.

"I mean, I understand when you were one your mother sacrificed herself for you. But how did you beat me all those other times? I just don't get it. Do you have an explanation or are you just lucky?"

Harry stared at him in horror. Riddle smiled.

"Yes, Harry. It's me. You didn't beat me in your last year at that pathetic school. All that happened was I went into hiding for a while to come up with a new plan that would bring the world into my power forever. And I did come up with one! It was a brilliant plan, genius even. But when I put it into action, guess what happens? Of course _you_ ruin it all by remembering your real life! You can't just be a normal person for once and not have some extraordinary power that makes you immune to my plan? Well, don't worry about it. Your 'friends' brought you right into my hand. It's too bad that you're about to go so crazy I had to put you to sleep, like an animal, just to get safely away. But then my plan will go along as scheduled."

Harry swallowed.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly. To tell the truth, he was scared. He had no way of defending himself when Riddle tried to kill him.

"Now why should I tell you that? It won't make a difference to you after you're dead," said Riddle. He took out a needle and advanced on Harry. "The world has seen the last of you. Goodbye, Harry Potter."

* * *

"I still don't think what we did is right," said Ginny as they reentered the house.

"Ginny, he was crazy! You heard what he said," said Ron.

"Well, maybe we should have listened more."

"There's no sane explanation for it," said Hermione.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, but it was the only thing we could do," said Ron. She shrugged and sat down at the table. Hermione started pouring tea as everyone else took their places.

"Ron," said Mrs. Weasley, "should we look at the yearbook? Just in case what he was saying was true?"

Ron stared at her.

"Mum! There's no way it could have been true. There's no such thing as magic!"

"But let's just look at it anyway. I haven't seen it for a long time," she said and picked it up. Ron sighed.

"Fine," he said. Mrs. Weasley opened the little blue book up and started filtering through the pages.

"Oh, look!" she said. "There's Ginny!" she turned the book around so they could all see. Ginny was in the eleventh graders section.

"Ooh, let me see," she said. Her mother handed her the book. "I look almost the same," she said.

"No, you look much more mature," said Mrs. Weasley proudly.

Ginny smiled and turned back to her picture.

"What was that?" she said.

"What?" asked Hermione.

"I could've sworn the picture just moved," said Ginny. Ron scoffed.

"All that stuff Harry said is getting to your head. Let me see," he said. Ginny gave him the yearbook and he looked at her picture. "I don't see anything." Ginny shrugged as Ron turned the page to the twelfth graders page.

"Look, it's me and Ron!" said Hermione, looking over Ron's shoulder. Everyone crowded around.

"Aw, you look so cute," said Ginny. "Whoa…you guys just blinked!"

"So…?" said Ron. "That's normal…"

"No! In the picture! In the picture!" said Ginny.

"I saw it too!" said Hermione. "There it goes again!"

Ron looked at Mrs. Weasley.

"I definitely don't see it," she said. Hermione put her finger over her photograph. In the picture, Ron and Hermione winked. Suddenly the paper split in two. Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

Ginny pulled apart the flaps.

"Oh my God," she breathed. She pulled out a yearbook. "'Hogwarts yearbook, 1991-1992'," she read.

"Let me see," said Hermione. Ginny gave it to her and handed the next one to Ron.

"Here, Mum," she said, giving her mother one. She took the 1994-1995 yearbook and everyone sat back down. "All right," said Ginny. "Open up." At the same time, they all opened their book. Simultaneously, they all gasped. The pictures were moving!

Hermione found the page were there were class photographs. There were kids' pictures under "Gryffindor", "Ravenclaw", "Hufflepuff", and "Slytherin." The first two pages were marked "first years." On the first page were Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and on the other two were Hufflepuff and Slytherin. She looked at Gryffindor first.

"Oh my God! Is that me?" she was looking at a very bushy haired girl. Next to her was a boy with messy black hair and round glasses. Next to him was a red haired boy. "That's Ron!" she exclaimed looking at the names on the page. "And in between us…Harry Potter."

"Look at this," said Ron. "It's Ginny!" And there she was, looking very stressed and tired, but happy. On the next page he found himself, Hermione, and Harry. They were smiling and waving.

"And here you are in third year," said Mrs. Weasley. "And there are Fred and George, in fifth year! And Percy in seventh. Head Boy! That must be something good," she said proudly.

"I have my third year and Hermione and Ron's fourth year," said Ginny. "Here's their fifth year." She pulled out the next book. "Hmm. Fred and George are missing from seventh year."

At the end of each yearbook there was a whole page, dedicated to each of the students.

"My God," said Ron. "How much can they fit in such a small book? It looks so small from the outside, but it's enormous."

"It's magic," said Hermione, reading Harry's description in their first year. It told all about his past and Voldemort and what happened with Quirrell. Ron looked at Ginny's, Hermione's, Harry's, and his own in the 1992-1993 book.

Mrs. Weasley read all about Sirius Black and the dementors and everything in the third year book.

Ginny read about the Triwizard tournament and Umbridge and what Fred and George had done.

They soon reached the last yearbook and looked at it together. Harry had cuts on his face and arms, and he looked tired but happy, with his arms around Hermione and Ron's shoulders. They were all laughing and waving. The description at the back said Harry had defeated the Dark Lord in that year. But right before their eyes, the letters were changing. Instead of saying "In his final year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who", the letters changed to say "In his final year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter drove You-Know-Who into hiding, once more."

"He was telling the truth," said Ron, closing the final yearbook.

"We have to go get him out!" said Ginny. The other three looked at her and jumped up. They ran outside and piled into Ron's car.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

I know I know I'm a horrible person I haven't updated in almost 4 months! I'm so so so so so so so so so so sorry! And I'm even more sorry at how short this is! I mean it is seriously soooooo short. And I'm sorry. But the next one will be longer. I promise! And I know this chapter isn't very good and I'm sorry for that too but I'll try to make the next one better I just felt like I should update but I have so much to do today so I had to make it quick..sorry sorry sorry!

* * *

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley rushed into the mental hospital. At the front desk, there was a young receptionist filing her nails and listening to her ipod. Ginny went over and started banging on the desk.

"Hello? Hello!" The receptionist irritably pulled off her headphones.

"What?" she asked.

"Where's Harry Potter's room?" asked Ginny.

"What?"

"Harry Potter! Where's his room?"

"Who?"

"What are you, retarded? HA-RRY PO-TTER!"

"All right, let me look it up. Don't have a spasm," the receptionist said. She blew a bubble with her gum and typed something into the computer. "Room 215."

"Great, thanks." They ran off to the elevator.

"Wait no, you can't go up there!" shouted the receptionist. But no one cared.

The ride in the elevator was over in no time. They group walked quickly down the hallway to room 215 so they wouldn't draw suspicion. When they reached the room, they looked inside through the little window. What they saw horrified them.

Harry was trying to hold off what seemed to be a doctor but was having trouble. The doctor had a crazy expression on his face. He was holding something in his right hand but none of them could see what it was.

Ginny suddenly let out a gasp as the doctor got closer to Harry. Harry's head turned to look at them, just as the doctor plunged a needle in his arm. Ginny screamed. The door window had gone completely black. They couldn't see what was going on inside anymore. Hermione ran to find someone while the rest of them stood trying to see through the now black glass.

* * *

Harry clenched his teeth and pushed Riddle off of him. The needle was sticking out of his arm but it hadn't done anything to him and he hadn't felt any pain. He pulled it out and felt his arm. There was a padded something there. He suddenly realized it was a gun holster. When they had brought him to the mental hospital, they had taken away his gun but he still had the shoulder holster.

Still holding the needle, Harry now moved towards Riddle, who was on the ground. Riddle just grinned.

"You think you're going to kill me with that? Do you not know who I am? _I _am Lord _Voldemort!_ I can't be killed by that lousy thing. You're going to have to try harder than that. Until next time, Potter!" He laughed and with a snap of his fingers, was gone.

Harry stood staring at the spot where his enemy had just been. He couldn't believe it. Voldemort was still alive. And he had once again done something horrible which Harry couldn't understand.

Harry gasped. He suddenly had trouble breathing. He clutched at his chest and sank down to the ground. A burning filled his head as he felt a drop of blood trickle down his forehead.

It was over in a matter of seconds. Harry remained where he was, breathing heavily. A pounding sounded on the door as it flew open, but he didn't move. People rushed over and crouched down in front of him.

"Harry? Harry! It's Ginny! Harry, we believe you. We believe you Harry," a soft voice said. Harry lifted his head. Everybody gasped and leapt up away from him, staring at something on his forehead.

"Oh my God," Hermione gasped.

"W – what is that?" Mrs. Weasley breathed.

"It's…the scar."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

So I started this story four years ago…let's see if I ever finish it

* * *

"H – Harry?" Ron asked timidly from his position at the wall. "You… you okay?"

Harry, still panting heavily, looked up at him in surprise. Confusion, shock, fatigue, and, finally, happiness all crossed his face.

"You guys came for me? Does this mean…" Harry trailed off, not quite certain he wanted to voice his question.

"We believe you, Harry," Ginny said earnestly. "We do. And we felt just awful throwing you in here." She knelt down beside him. "How do you feel?"

"I – I don't know really," Harry said almost laughing in disbelief. "I can't believe you guys are even here, I mean…what changed your mind?"

"The yearbooks," Hermione said, kneeling down next to Ginny. "We looked at them and we saw the pictures moving and then the Hogwarts yearbooks came out and we read all about you and all of us and…"

"And we nearly had bloody heart attacks," Ron finished for her, cracking a smile and coming closer. "I mean, I'm not going to lie, you did seem familiar when you were in our house and everything but you just seemed so bonkers out of your mind."

Harry laughed.

"Well, I'm glad to see you changed your mind on that. You really helped me out here," he said.

"Speaking of which…" Mrs. Weasley began. "What exactly happened?"

"Clearly, mum, a deranged doctor with a needle. No biggy," Ginny joked. Harry grinned.

"I wish it were as simple as that," he said. "But, unfortunately, nothing ever is when it comes to magic. I'll tell you everything but first I think we should get out of here."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Ron said uncomfortably. "I mean…I hate hospitals."

"That's the least of your worries now, Ron," Harry said, somewhat jokingly. "I mean, that is, if you're sticking with me."

"Of course we're sticking with you," Hermione said. "What else are we going to do, really? We're just as loony as you are now."

"Well, thank you for that," Harry laughed.

"I do think Ron's right though," Ginny said. "I'm sure they'll be coming to check up soon."

"That's true," Harry agreed. "Okay," he said, getting up from his spot on the floor. Hermione and Ginny rose to their feet as well. "How are we going to do this? I doubt they'll let me stroll right out of the front door."

"Well," Ron said, peering out the door of the room. "There's no one in the hallway. I'm sure we could find some back entrance or something to sneak you out of here. We just have to be careful moving around is all."

"We're more suspicious in a big group, you know," Ginny pointed out. "Maybe mum and I should go ahead first so we don't draw so much attention?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Hermione said.

"Do you have your phone with you?" Mrs. Weasley asked Ron.

"Yeah, why?" he answered.

"We can call you and let you know if the coast is clear. It'll be a little easier to sneak out that way."

"That sounds good," Harry agreed. "I think we should get moving. Are you guys ready?'

"Ready to go," Ginny confirmed. "See you soon."

She and Mrs. Weasley quickly peered out to the hallway and left the room. They walked down and turned left into the next corridor. The coast was clear so far.

"All right, ready guys?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Ron confirmed and Hermione nodded. Harry smiled, looking at the determined faces of his two friends. It was just like old times.

-o0o-

They had gotten about halfway through the hospital when suddenly an alarm started going off.

"That can't be good," Harry groaned. Just as those words left his mouth, a team of security guards appeared at the end of the hall. "Run!" Harry shouted. He could hear the guards' yells behind them and their uniforms jingling as they ran after the three fugitives.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran through corridor after winding corridor, losing track of where they were almost immediately. They had left the main part of the hospital and now found themselves in a much quieter area with no lobbies or receptionists, just rooms and rooms of patients. The guards still somewhere behind them, they continued looking for an exit or a stairwell but all they could find were locked doors behind which were surely dead ends anyway.

Harry knew it was over as soon as they came to the end of the hall and found no other passage. No window, no door. No escape. He was just about ready to give up, turn around, and turn himself in when he heard a noise.

"Psst! Harry!" It was coming from the room to his left. Harry glanced behind his shoulder. He could hear the guards bustling about and looking for them and, though they had not yet come to this particular corridor, they were getting closer and closer. This was their only chance.

"Come on!" Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione and tried the door of the room on the left. It opened effortlessly and they hurried inside, locking it behind them. The room they found themselves in now was pitch black.

"Harry! Harry!" the voice said again, softly but urgently.

"Who's there?" Harry said.

"Harry! Harry! Harry!" they kept calling and calling.

"Who's there!" Harry said again, this time more forcefully. And suddenly the lights were on, bright, too bright, he could see nothing but could hear Ron and Hermione's cries as they too were blinded; and then Bellatrix Lestrange's face, out of nowhere, in front of him, then Voldemort, and Sirius and Dumbledore, and some grassy plain, and he wanted it to stop he wanted to be anywhere, anywhere but here and then the room was spinning, spinning, and the trio was thrown on the ground, on the grassy ground in the woods they now found themselves in.

-o0o-

They lay there for a second, each breathing heavily. Hermione's hair was disheveled, Harry's glasses had flown off and fallen next to him and Ron's face looked quite green.

"What," he began as he sat up, "the _bloody_ hell was that!"

"I have no idea," Hermione breathed, as she sat up next to her husband. "Harry?"

"God," Harry groaned, rubbing his eyes. He pawed the ground for his glasses, hoping they weren't cracked. Luckily they were still intact. "Honestly, the only thing I can think of is Voldemort is trying to mess with me."

"What a prick," Ron moaned clutching his stomach. "I feel like I'm gonna be sick."

"You know," Harry said curiously as a sudden thought entered his mind. "It feels like we just Apparated. But it's like we were forced to, it wasn't by choice."

"Wait, Apparated?" Hermione asked. "What exactly does that mean?"

"I _am_ gonna be sick!" Ron cried and stumbled onto his feet and into the trees.

"That sounds about right," Harry said to himself.

"Harry? Apparated?" Hermione asked again.

"Right," Harry said, getting up to his feet and looking around. "It's just like teleporting I guess. You think of a place and appear there instantaneously. But I don't get how one can be forced into it. I mean, we didn't do anything. Or…well _was_ it really forced? I mean, the images were forced into my head and I thought I wanted to be out of there, anywhere else…and I saw this grassy area right before it happened. So maybe I did do it…but still you two technically had to be holding on to a witch or wizard to be able to do it too…unless…hang on…" He grew silent as another thought struck him.

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I'm just thinking…what if your powers weren't taken from you? What if your memory was just wiped clean so that you forgot you ever had them? That would explain the Apparation, anyway…"

As Harry was contemplating all of this, Ron finally staggered back out of the woods.

"That was not pleasant," he said, still looking out of sorts.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Hey, how come you didn't blow chunks?" He suddenly asked her. Hermione grimaced.

"Lovely, Ron. And I don't know, it felt normal to me. Like I'd done it before."

"Well, technically, I've done it before too, haven't I?" Ron said. "Yet I couldn't hold it in and you were fine."

"I don't know Ron, okay?" Hermione said, getting irritated. "Harry, what are you thinking?"

"You're supposed to know everything." Ron muttered, earning a glare from Hermione.

"I don't know," Harry answered Hermione, apparently oblivious to the bickering going on between his two best friends. "Listen, I need to figure this stuff out, and I have no idea where to start. But I think the library is a good bet." Hermione's face brightened immediately.

"Oh, I agree!" she exclaimed. Harry grinned.

"I'm glad to see the only thing that's really changed in this world is the lack of magic," he laughed. Hermione turned slightly pink.

"I guess you and the library are just meant for each other, 'Mione," Ron chuckled.

"Shut up," she muttered, embarrassed but amused all the same.

"Harry," Ron said, now taking the time to look around.

"Yeah?" Harry said.

"How on earth are we getting to a library?" Harry looked around at the miles and miles of woods surrounding them.

"Good question," he answered.

-o0o-

"We've been walking for _hours!_" Ron complained clutching his stomach. "I'm _starved!_"

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione snapped, "can't you think of anything other than food once in a while?"

"No need to get testy," Ron retorted. "It's not like you're such a joy to be around right now either."

"Okay, guys," Harry stepped in, just as Hermione was about to make another comment. "We're all hungry, tired and irritated but there's no point in turning on each other. It's going to be an unpleasant rest of the way if we do, you know." He stopped walking and turned to his two friends. "Are you _sure_ you don't want to try Apparating again?" he asked.

"Harry, we tried. And tried and tried and _tried,_" Hermione said exasperatedly. "You yourself said it was because we didn't have wands, that that first time was just a fluke. What is the point of wasting more daylight trying again?"

"Yeah, mate," Ron agreed. "It seems like it just won't work. We're going to have to stick it out and walk is all."

"Honestly," Harry said, "I'm tired. I think it would do good for us to rest."

"Harry, we can rest when it's dark!" Hermione exclaimed. "Why should we rest now and then have to travel in the woods at night? It should be the opposite, don't you think?"

"Yeah, and what's with you all of a sudden?" Ron asked. "You've been the one urging us to go on this whole time. Now you want to rest?" Harry sighed.

"Okay, the reason for that," he said, "is that I thought Voldemort might try to come after us while we were defenseless in the woods then. We were weak and confused and I was afraid he would use that to his advantage. But, obviously, he hasn't yet. So maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"Look, we've been walking for hours. We're hungry and tired and our cell phones aren't working," Hermione pointed out. "We're probably even worse off now than before."

"Fine," Harry said. "I guess you're right. We'll keep going, in a minute. Can we just make an _attempt_ at Apparating again?" Hermione and Ron looked at each other.

"Okay, fine," Hermione finally sighed. "One more time."

"Great," Harry grinned. "Grab my hand." Hermione and Ron both did what they were told. Harry closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He could see his apartment in his mind and could envision himself in it. And suddenly he felt that familiar pull, the tumbling and twisting in the air. Then everything was still.

Harry opened his eyes and looked around at the same apartment he had woken up in not long before.

"Well," Ron choked out, his eyes wide and face twisted into a pained expression. "That was unexpected." And with those words, with his hands covering his mouth, he bolted into the bathroom.

-o0o-


End file.
